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4th Grade Distance Learning Menu

Reading

Read 30 minutes a day and complete at least 2 of the following activities during the week. You may use the biographies provided.

**Biography/Autobiography**

List two traits of the person you just read about. Write text

evidence of each trait.

Name 2 text features that were included in the text and

explain in what way they supported the article.

Find two words in the text that you don’t know. Use context

clues to figure out their meaning. Use a dictionary (print or digital) to determine if you were right. Write a sentence

using each word. What are some of the main

contributions this person made to our world throughout his/her

life? How would the world be different if they hadn’t

accomplished these things? Use text evidence to support your

answer.

What lesson can we learn from this biography? Use text evidence to support your

answer.

Create a timeline that shows the most important events in

this person’s life. Use the timeline to write a summary of

the biography.

Writing and Grammar This week, we are writing personal narratives. A personal narrative is a story about your personal experience. It is written in past tense and focuses on one small moment. You can use this graphic organizer and/or watch

this YouTube video to help you plan your story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1UctktEyds

Complete 1 of the boxes below during the week.

Write about a time when you tried your hardest.

Choose three sentences from your writing and underline the subject and verb in each sentence.

*Be sure to use past tense verbs.

Write about a time when you felt scared.

Highlight or underline three compound sentences with past tense verbs. If you don’t have three compound sentences, find two simple sentences

to combine to make one.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Musicians: Celia Cruz

TOP: Celia Cruz portrait. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. MIDDLE: Singer Celia Cruz in Paris, France. Photo by Lionel Decoster.BOTTOM:Celia at the Grammys 2002.

Synopsis: Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba, on October 21, 1925. Her first success was in the

1950s, as a singer with the orchestra La Sonora Matancera. Cruz left Cuba for the United States

after the rise of Fidel Castro. She recorded 23 gold records with Tito Puente, the Fania All-Stars

and other musicians. Cruz died in New Jersey in 2003. She was 77 years old.

Early Years

Celia Cruz grew up in the poor neighborhood of Santos Suárez in Havana, Cuba. Cuba had many

types of music that influenced Cruz. In the 1940s, Cruz won a singing contest on the "La Hora del

Té" ("Tea Time") radio program. The win got her music career started. Cruz's mother encouraged

her to enter other contests. Her father had other plans for her, though. He wanted her to become a

teacher. This was a common job for Cuban women at that time.

Rising Musical Career

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.15.16Word Count 616Level 710L


Cruz enrolled at a college for teachers, but she dropped out soon after. Her live performances and

radio shows were becoming popular. Yet Cruz put aside her ambition to be a singer because her

father wanted her to stay in school. She enrolled at Havana's National Conservatory of Music.

However, one of her professors told her her heart was not in school. He convinced her that she

should try a full-time singing career.

Cruz made her first recordings in 1948. By 1950, her

singing career started to take off. She began singing

with the famous Cuban orchestra La Sonora

Matancera. At first, people did not think that Cruz

could do as well as their last lead singer. Some did not

think a woman could sell salsa records at all.

However, Cruz helped the group become more

successful. She pushed all Latin music to new heights.

The band toured widely through Central and North

America through the 1950s.

Commercial Success

In 1959, communism took over in Cuba. La Sonora

Matancera was touring in Mexico at the time.

Members of the band decided to leave Cuba for good.

They headed to the United States instead of returning

home. Cruz became a U.S. citizen in 1961. Citizens of

communist countries were not allowed to move away.

Fidel Castro, the new leader of Cuba, was angry with

Cruz for leaving. He said she could never return to

Cuba.

At first, not many people knew about Cruz in the United States. She was only popular with other

Cubans who were already living in the country. Then she joined the Tito Puente Orchestra in the

mid-1960s. That let many more people get to know her style of salsa music. Puente had fans all

across Latin America. Cruz was the new face of his band. She became an exciting member of the

group. Together, they gained many new fans. On stage, Cruz thrilled audiences. The fans loved her

colorful costumes. They loved the way she talked to them. These things helped to keep her singing

career going for 40 years.

Cruz's voice was always strong. She continued performing live and recording albums through the

1970s, 1980s and beyond. She made more than 75 records, and 23 of them went gold. A gold

record has sold more than 500,000 copies.

Cruz won several Grammy Awards and Latin Grammys. She appeared in several movies, and

earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cruz was awarded the National Medal of Arts by

the National Endowment for the Arts.

Death And Legacy

Celia Cruz died in New Jersey on July 16, 2003. She was 77. Cruz is remembered as the "Queen of

Salsa," and one of the 20th century's most beloved and popular Latin musicians.


Activist and Labor Organizer: Cesar Chavez

Farm labor leader Cesar Chavez pickets outside the San Diego headquarters of Safeway markets in protest over the arrest of 29 persons ata Delano, California, Safeway. Bettmann/Contributor

Synopsis: Cesar Chavez was born in 1927. He started the United Farm Workers group. Chavez

led marches and protests to get better conditions for workers. He died in 1993. Lawmaker Robert

Kennedy called Chavez an American hero.

Working In The Fields As A Child

Cesar Chavez was born in 1927. At age 11, his family lost their farm in Arizona. They became

traveling farmworkers. Chavez moved across California working in the fields. His life was not easy.

Chavez joined the U.S. Navy in 1946. He returned from the service in 1948 and married Helen

Fabela. Together they settled in San Jose, California, and had eight children.

Making Life Better For Farmworkers

At the age of 35, Chavez had his first regular job. He worked with a group fighting for fair

treatment. He helped people sign up to vote and battled against discrimination.

By Cesar Chavez Foundation, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.09.16Word Count 416Level 520L


But Chavez's dream was to help farmworkers. He had been poor. He understood how having no

money had hurt farmworkers for many years.

In 1962, he started the National Farm Workers

Association. The group later became the United Farm

Workers of America (UFW).

Chavez traveled to farm towns, asking workers to join

his group. Many people were afraid to join.

Getting Support For His Mission

Chavez wanted to build a strong union. A union is a

group of workers from a single trade. Together, they

bargain for things like better pay and work hours.

Chavez hoped his union would give power to poor farmworkers.

Chavez used peaceful ways of fighting. He made farmworkers promise never to hurt other people.

To win fights, Chavez used marches and protests. Many Americans supported him. They refused to

buy grapes and other foods until the growers listened to the workers. This helped the workers win

better pay and work hours.

Chavez's Top Achievements

The UFW won huge victories for farmworkers. It was the first successful farmworkers union in

American history.

The group helped farmworkers win new rights. It gave them better lives. Thanks to Chavez, they

had more breaks at work. The fields had clean drinking water.

Death And Legacy

Chavez died in his sleep in 1993. More than 50,000 people went to his funeral.

Chavez liked to say "Si se puede!" This means "Yes, it can be done!" in Spanish. He inspired many

people. His birthday is now a holiday in 10 states.

Chavez helped regular people do amazing things. He helped people believe in themselves, even if

they were poor.


Inventors and Scientists: Thomas Edison

A portrait of prolific inventor Thomas Edison. National Portrait Gallery

Synopsis: Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. In his lab in Menlo

Park, New Jersey, he came up with several inventions such as the telegraph, phonograph, electric

light bulb and a motion picture camera. He died on October 18, 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey.

Younger Years

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. When he was a child, he had

illnesses that caused him to lose most of his hearing.

Edison attended public school for just a few weeks. He was easily distracted. His mother thought

he would learn better at home. She turned out to be right. Edison came up with a way of teaching

himself that worked well.

Early Career

At age 12, Edison sold newspapers to passengers along the Grand Trunk Railroad line. He got to

read news stories sent by telegraph to the train station office. The telegraph was a machine that let

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.11.16Word Count 634Level 740L


people send messages across long distances. With this information, Edison decided to start his

own newspaper. The passengers loved it.

A brave act brought him good fortune. He saved a 3-year-old from being run over by a train. The

child’s grateful father wanted to reward him. He taught Edison to send messages with a telegraph

machine.

In 1866, at age 19, Edison was working as a telegrapher. At first he did well. At the time, messages

were printed on paper. Telegraph technology soon changed, however. Messages started being sent

as clicking sounds. Edison lost the job because he could not hear the clicks.

Becoming An Inventor

In 1869, Edison moved to New York City. His first invention was the Universal Stock Printer. It

collected the information on stock prices from different sources. The Gold and Stock Telegraph

Company paid him $40,000 for the rights. By age 22, Edison was a full-time inventor.

In 1870, Thomas Edison set up his first small lab and factory in Newark, New Jersey. He sold his

inventions to Western Union and other companies.

In 1876, he moved his expanding business to Menlo Park, New Jersey. He was a well- known

inventor by then. In December of 1877, he developed the phonograph. It was a machine that could

record and play sound. The invention made him famous. He later developed a motion picture

camera and the alkaline battery.

Edison Illuminating Company

Edison's next great invention was an electric light bulb. He wanted to light up the cities of the

world. In 1880, he founded the Edison Illuminating Company. The company later became the

General Electric Corporation. In the early 1880s, he built a power station on Pearl Street in New

York City. He sold electricity in other American cities too.

Later Years

Edison got into a fight with Nikola Tesla over the best way to deliver electricity. Tesla was a

talented inventor who used to work for Edison. Edison was in favor of using direct current (DC)

electricity. Tesla preferred a different kind of electricity called alternating currents (AC). It was

easier to send AC electricity very long distances over thinner and cheaper wires. With Edison's

direct current, customers had to live close to a power station. In the end, people chose AC over DC

in the 1890s.

In later years, Edison invented a battery that could power an electric car. The battery was used in

the Model T car built by his friend, Henry Ford, in 1912. By the end of his life, Edison came up with

more than 1,000 inventions.

The Passing Of Edison

Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey. He was 84 years old.

People all over the world dimmed their lights to mark his passing. Edison had set the stage for the

modern electric world.

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